Langara English for Academic Purposes (LEAP)

When I graduated from high school I decided not to go to university in my home country, and I came to Canada. When I first came here, all I wanted to do was study English. But studying English required much more than I expected. In the LEAP Program, I was constantly being challenged. The LEAP Program not only improved my English, but also taught the importance of critical thinking and the knowledge that is necessary to practice it. It was a new concept that was foreign to me, but without it, you wouldn’t truly enjoy the learning experiences in Canada. Completing this program gave me a sense of confidence that I needed as a young international student.

After graduating from LEAP in 2008, I studied in the University Transfer program at Langara. After my studies at Langara, I transferred to York University in Toronto where I’m now doing a double major in Human Rights and Equity Studies and Political Science. As a political science student, I’ve been facing the complicated reality of world politics. I find it fascinating and impossible to ignore, and I’m sure that I will keep learning about it forever.

I am now taking a year-off from school and starting an internship program at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Tokyo. My hope is to help those who are the most vulnerable in times of political unrest. I am very excited and looking forward to what this will lead to in the future.

My advice for you is to stay open-minded. Be open-minded for others as well as yourself. Don’t limit yourself, because the world is your classroom.

Akane Nakano

"LEAP did not only prepare me for my academic study, but also helped me build a solid foundation of my personal life.

I started taking LEAP 8 years ago when I just arrived in Canada. I started in Level 6, but I failed it. At that time, I didn't even know what a thesis statement was, and during a 2 minute presentation, I forgot my speech and just stood there for almost a minute. I had to admit that my confidence in my good English skills was shaken. But in order to challenge myself, I retook it for a second time and did it better. Then I also finished Level 7 and Level 8. Now when I look back, I am proud of myself that I didn't quit when I failed my first Level 6. The LEAP program is the best Academic Preparation Program, it helped me a lot to build a strong foundation and prepared me better for my future study. I think every single thing I learned from LEAP was applied to my further study. After LEAP, I took my 1st year and 2nd year university transfer courses at Langara, and then transferred to UBC. I got my bachelor's degree specializing in Logistics and Transportation. Before I had my son last summer, I was working in an international logistic company located at the Vancouver International Airport.

Starting from LEAP, I had a new life in Canada. Accompanied with the academic achievements, I was lucky enough to develop some wonderful friendships with my classmates from LEAP. We witnessed each other's growth and stood by each other in the up and downs of life.

We all thank LEAP for giving us the platform to unearth our potential to achieve our dreams". 

"I studied in the LEAP Program LEAP 6 to LEAP 8. I can say honestly that my experience in the program was really enthusiastic, full of fun, full of knowledge, and most important, full of new academic skills in each level. We had seminar discussions and gave research presentations. In LEAP 8, I wrote a research paper related to my area of interest and I'm using it to apply to Canadian and non-Canadian universities. We learned tons of useful skills from the very qualified, knowledgeable, and helpful instructors!"

"I like the style of the LEAP Program: a different topic each week, small classes, and two different teachers. The different topics give me many ideas when I am studying, which is very interesting to me".

"I am very happy to have attended each level of LEAP. Everybody already knows that LEAP teaches academic English, but I want to say one special thing that LEAP gave to me: knowledge. As a student in Vietnam, I studied very little about social issues. However, the day I started in LEAP, my knowledge grew bigger and bigger. I started to understand more things and I became more interested in the "real life" surrounding me. All I want to say is "thank you" to all the teachers and the people working in LEAP that gave me many opportunities. Thanks for everything."

"The LEAP Program is a very useful English program because it helps students to improve their academic English skills, such as reading, writing and listening for university courses. The classes are very active because students have to work in groups to do their work. I would like to recommend the LEAP Program to students who want to improve their English skills, because they not only learn English, but also about Canada and different cultures."